Israel to deport all foreign nationals detained on aid flotilla

Israel announced Tuesday that it will deport all foreign nationals arrested aboard a Turkish-backed flotilla which aimed to break an Israeli blockade and deliver humanitarian aid to residents of the Gaza Strip.

AFP - Israel will deport all foreign nationals who were arrested during an operation to halt an aid flotilla bound for Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Tuesday.

"All foreign nationals who were on board the fleet and were arrested will be deported from Tuesday night," the premier's office said a statement.

Following a deadly raid Monday by its forces on the six-ship flotilla, Israel has already deported dozens of the 682 activists from 42 countires but has been holding hundreds of others, most of them Turkish nationals.